Doughs:
- Standard Egg Dough
- Almost All-Yolk Dough
- Whole Wheat Egg Dough
- Parsley-Speckled Dough
- Black Pepper Dough
- Chestnut Dough
- Citrus-Scented Dough
- Colorful Egg Dough /Patterned Sheet
Sauces:
What they are
The name means “butterflies,” although I grew up calling them bow ties. They’re an old favorite in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, where they’re known as strichetti (“pinches”), and became especially popular in the 1970s. At the beginning, farfalle were the offcuts of filled pastas made delicate and pretty; today, you’ll find them in all sorts of sizes and colors, from tiny farfalline (perfect for soups) to oversized farfallone.
How they’re traditionally served
With peas and prosciutto, cream and meat sauces, and with seafood, particularly salmon (they’re also a popular choice for pasta salads). In Lombardy, you’ll find them sweetened with amaretti biscuits, butter, and sage.
MAKE THE DOUGH
Make your dough of choice and let it rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dry dishcloth. Gather your tools and set up your pasta machine.
SHEET THE DOUGH
Roll a quarter of your pasta dough into a sheet, stopping at setting 6 for a Marcato or setting 7 for a KitchenAid machine.
CUT THE SHEET INTO RECTANGLES
Either with a bicycle pastry cutter or by hand, cut the sheet lengthwise into 1½-inch (4-cm) strips.
To cut the strips by hand: Position the pasta sheet horizontally on your work surface. Trim a thin strip of dough, about ¼ inch (6 mm) from the top and bottom (longer) edges so the sheet is a little narrower. Fold the pasta into thirds like a letter, first folding the bottom third upward about halfway and making a crease, then folding the top edge downward to meet the bottom and making another crease. Unfold the pasta sheet and cut along the creases—you should have three rows.
Using a fluted pasta cutter if you have one, a bicycle pastry cutter, or a sharp knife, cut the sheet crosswise—north to south—at 2-inch (5-cm) intervals (just eyeball it). You should have rectangles that are wider than they are tall and look like an old-fashioned arcade or circus ticket.
Save any scraps for soups or a snack, or ball them up and cover them so they can be reused at the end.
MAKE THE FARFALLE
Cover the rectangles you’re not using with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap.
There are many ways to make farfalle. Here’s what works best for me: Hold a rectangle between your thumbs (in front) and index fingers (at the back), with the shorter, fluted edges at top and bottom. Start folding the rectangle inward like a book and then, just as your thumbs start to knock against each other, use them to peel the center part of the side edges back, away from you, so it starts to look like a butterfly (or bow tie). Pinch the center firmly to seal, then fan out the wings a little bit more.
Arrange the finished farfalle in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining rectangles, and then the remaining dough.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the farfalle until tender, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness and drying time.
